To Lose a Loved One
by AisforAWKWARD
Summary: It was supposed to be a basic mission. Go in, kill the bad guy, get out. They never expected it to end like this. Sorry suckish summary, better story *character death*


**Hey guys here is a random one-shot that just came to me randomly. I'm sorry if it sucks it's really late and I needed to get my emotions out. This is my first attempt at a death fic so please be nice and give me feedback. So enjoy if you can! ps I own nothing but you already knew that**

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"So, how about after we wrap things up here, you and I go grab some dinner before heading back to the tower?" Clint asked his partner as they crept through the hallways of the large facility occasionally taking out a guard or two. It was a pretty straightforward mission. Go in, kill the bad guy, get out. A walk in the park for the two Avengers.

"Maybe, if you pay the tab." Natasha replied with a smirk.

"Of course. Now what did this guy do to get on SHEILD's hit list?" The archer inquired.

"If you had read his file like you were supposed to, you would know." The redhead pointed out.  
"I was busy!"

"Clint, you were having a contest with Stark to see who could drink the most milk without throwing up."

"Yes, but I won!" Then archer said proudly. Natasha rolled her eyes.

"Focus on the mission, Barton. Now because you aren't prepared, I'll fill you in. Our target is Gavin McCullan. He's a scientist who has been developing incurable toxins and selling them on the black market. He needs to be taken out before his business gets too large."

"Got it." Clint nodded. The two assassins continued down the hallway until they found the control room. The archer readied his bow and quiver while Natasha drew her guns.

"My guess is that he's got at least twenty guards. You keep them occupied while I go for McCullan. Got it?" Clint nodded then loaded a blinding arrow into his bow.

"My count. One... Two... Three!" The archer released the arrow into the room then covered his eyes as the bright flash went off. He and Natasha burst into the room, weapons drawn, and began to fight. They could see McCullan on a balcony surrounded by guards, frantically trying to figure out an escape plan. Natasha proceeded to fight her way past the temporarily blinded men as she neared her target. Meanwhile, Clint was shooting various types of arrows into the crowd of guards and occasionally taking out some via hand-to-hand combat. By the time Natasha was climbing up the balcony, more than half the guards had been killed. The scientist's guards started coming at her, but she disposed of them with ease.

"Geez, for an evil genius, you'd think this guy would have smarter protection." She scoffed to herself. It was now just her and McCullan.  
"Quite the talent, you have there." The scientist said, his voice surprisingly steady. Natasha stole a glance at her partner who had just snapped the neck of one the remaining guards.

"You're going to rot in hell for the rest of eternity." The redhead remarked cocking her guns.

"I won't be the only one." McCullan smirked looking over the balcony. Natasha looked over in horror as Clint was shot with a dart by the last living guard. Without blinking, Natasha shot the scientist and killed him before emptying her gun into the man who had just shot her partner. Then, the redhead rushed down to where her partner lay.

"Clint, wake up! Wake up now or I swear I'll smash your bow into a billion pieces." She ordered trying to keep her emotions at bay. She removed the dart from his should and inspected it. Her heart sank and nearly stopped as she realized it was one of the toxins McCullan had manufactured.

"Tasha..." Clint slurred, his voice full of pain.

"Yeah, Clint, I'm right here. Listen, you gotta stay with me. Everything's gonna be alright, you hear me?" She assured, although she knew she was only kidding herself.

"Nat, I'm gonna die." The archer said plainly.

"I-I know." Natasha replied, trying to swallow the growing lump in her throat.

"Tasha, it's okay to cry." Clint whispered. That's when she lost it. The floodgates in her eyes flew open and sobs wracked her body.

"P-please, Clint, please don't leave me! You can't! You're all I have left." She cried holding Clint's weak body in her arms.

"No, I'm not. Nat, you have four other teammates who care about you and will help you through this. I don't want to leave you either, but sometimes, life has other plans." The archer said then started coughing violently. Blood trickled out of his mouth making Natasha cry even more.

"You can't die though! You just can't! Tony needs you to make stupid bets with, and Steve needs you to help him work on his bike so that he doesn't have to ask Tony. Thor needs you to make your special pancakes when we're out of Poptarts, and Bruce needs you to get Tony off his back once in a while so he doesn't hulk out. Most of all, I need you to spar with me and comfort me when I have a nightmare. We all need you Clint so you can't die!" Natasha screamed. She knew she was being unreasonable because there was nothing anyone could do, but she didn't care. Clint weakly wiped a tear on her cheek.

"I'm sorry, Tasha." Clint apologized then winced in pain. He struggled to breathe but soon it became too painful. "Nat, the pain... It's too much to handle. Please." The archer begged with tears in his eyes. Natasha's eyes widened at what he had just asked her to do.

"Clint, I don't think I can-"

"P-please, Tasha, I don't want to be in pain anymore." He wheezed. Natasha nodded then choked on a sob as she gathered Clint into a hugging position. "I love you, Natasha." He whispered in his ear.

"I-I love you too, Clint." She cried softly. She listened to his struggling breath for one more moment then, with a loud sob, she snapped his neck. Clint's body immediately went slack in her arms as she cried into his shoulder. She sat there sobbing hysterically for who knows how long before she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder. She looked up to see Steve staring back at her with sad eyes.

"I'm so sorry, Natasha." He said. That just made her sob harder into her dead partner's body. Suddenly, Thor knelt in front of her.

"He was a true warrior with a great heart. We will all miss him dearly." He said then gently put his arms under the archer's body. Natasha, not having the energy to fight, gave Clint one last hug before allowing the god to take him from her. She then pulled her knees up to her chest and sobbed some more. It wasn't long before she felt the presence of her other three teammates beside her. Bruce rubbed her back soothingly while Tony whispered words of comforting to her.

"He's gone! He's really gone!" Natasha sobbed.

"I know, but we're here for you, okay? We're still your team and while we can't bring Clint back, we're going to do anything we can to help you." Steve promised. He then gathered her in his arms and lifted her bridal style.

"Let's get you home." Tony said with a sad smile.

That night, all five Avengers slept in Natasha's room. She had protested at first, of course, but she was no match for their stubbornness and eventually gave in and the next morning when she woke up, she was curled up next to Steve with her head in his chest. Tony was on the other side of her while Thor slept guarding the door and Bruce in a chair next to the bed. They stayed by her side during the funeral and cooked her breakfast, lunch, and dinner. They never left her. They stayed with her and helped her through it, just like Clint said they would.

**Hope it didn't suck too much!**


End file.
